Rob Sand Hosts Mental Health Roundtable to Kick Off Mental Health Awareness Month

DES MOINES, IA – Last Friday, on the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month and following the rollout of his “A Healthier Iowa for All” plan, candidate for governor Rob Sand hosted a roundtable with local leaders, providers, and advocates in Cedar Rapids to discuss the state of mental health care in Iowa and the challenges facing patients and providers

They discussed the harms Medicaid privatization has caused, including access and care delivery, as well as the urgent need to expand telehealth options, including audio services, to better serve Iowans in rural communities. Right now, Iowa continues to lag behind the rest of the country in key areas like psychiatric beds, mental health care providers, and workforce availability — leaving families waiting, law enforcement stretched thin, and too many people without the care they need.

Learn more about Rob’s mental health roundtable below:

WATCH:

Iowa’s News Now: Governor candidate Rob Sand holds roundtable with mental health experts in Cedar Rapids

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand stopped in Cedar Rapids Friday for a roundtable with mental health experts.
During the discussion Sand listened to nine mental health experts, asked questions and responded with his stances and past work as Iowa auditor.
“One of the biggest problems we have in Iowa is the shortage of providers,” one of the experts told Sand. “My ex-daughter-in-law sat in an emergency room for a day and a half because there was no bed for her.”
One of Sand’s biggest takeaways was a policy he has previously voiced support for: Reverse the privatization of Medicaid.
“Right now everyone in the state of Iowa just had their taxes raised by this legislature and this governor to pay for the profits of these companies who are making these people’s jobs harder,” Sand told Iowa’s News Now after the event.